Colette sat in front of the dressing-room mirror, pretending to check her makeup. There was nothing wrong with it. She knew there was nothing wrong with it. But checking it gave her something to do other than think about the conversation she had just had with Madeleine.
“Alors, essaie encore, ou l’un de vous deux risque de ne plus travailler ici lorsque Henri l’apprendra.” (“Then try again, or one of you may no longer be working here once Henri finds out.”) Madeleine had told her before leaving the dressing room.
Colette frowned at her reflection. It was not fair. She had told Julien. More than once. She liked him. Of course she liked him. He was sweet, and sometimes rather funny, and she enjoyed talking to him whenever he came to the theatre to take photographs. But that was all. She had never encouraged him to think there could be anything more between them.
At least, she did not think she had.
“Tu vas finir par briser ce pauvre miroir si tu continues à le regarder comme ça.” (“You are going to break that poor mirror if you keep looking at it like that.”)
Colette turned.
“Elle n’avait pas le droit de te parler comme ça. Ce n’est tout de même pas comme si tu encourageais ce garçon.” (“She had no right to speak to you like that. It is not as if you encourage the boy.”)
Farther along the dressing table, Mireille smiled at her. She had that way of smiling that said everything would be all right, no matter what the problem was.
Yvette was standing a few places away, removing one of the pins from the hair of one of the other girls before apparently deciding that she had taken it out too soon and putting it straight back again.
“Madeleine ?” (“Madeleine?”)
Colette nodded.
“J’ai déjà parlé à Julien. Plusieurs fois. Qu’est-ce qu’elle veut que je fasse de plus ?” (“I have already spoken to Julien. Several times. What more does she want me to do?”) Colette asked.
“Probablement que tu lui parles encore une fois.” (“Probably for you to speak to him once more.”) Yvette said.
Colette turned towards her.
“Et pour lui dire quoi ?” (“And say what?”) Colette asked.
“Je suis certaine que tu trouveras quelque chose.” (“I am sure you will think of something.”) Yvette replied.
Yvette looked towards Lucienne and saw an expression on her face that she had not seen in a few months. She knew her well enough to recognise that something had happened earlier. At first, she had thought Lucienne was simply worried about Karyn after her fall, but she knew the two of them well enough to see that that was not it.
She had known about the two of them when they had been together. She had known when things between them had become difficult, and she knew about their decision to remain friends.
For the moment.
Neither of them had ever needed to ask Yvette to keep quiet.
They knew she would.
Whatever had happened between them tonight was their affair.
If either of them wanted her to know about it, they would tell her.
Until then, Yvette would say nothing.
Mireille glanced towards Karyn’s empty chair.
“Comment va-t-elle ?” (“How is she?”) she asked.
“Madeleine a dit qu’elle allait bien. Elle est seulement un peu désorientée.” (“Madeleine said she was all right. Just a little confused.”) Yvette replied.
Mireille paused.
“Elle n’était vraiment pas elle-même ce soir.” (“She really was not herself tonight.”)
“Elle a été renversée par cette étrangère. À quoi t’attendais-tu ?” (“She was knocked over by that foreign woman. What did you expect?”) Colette said.
“J’espère qu’elle ira mieux demain.” (“I hope she will be better tomorrow.”) Mireille said, turning slightly towards them.
Yvette looked at Karyn’s empty place.
Then she smiled.
“Pourquoi est-ce qu’elle n’irait pas mieux ?” (“Why wouldn’t she be?”) she said to the others as she went back to work.
